Machine eor bending and setting springs



UNITED STATES 'PATENT FFICE.

JOHN EVANS, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

MACHINE FOR BENDING AND SETTING SPRING-S.

Specication of Letters Patent No. 23,018, dated February 22, 1859.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN EVANS, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Machine forBending or Setting Elliptic and Similar Springs; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a vertical section of my invention, taken in the line fr, of Fig. 2. Fig. 2, is also a vertical section of ditto taken in the line 1, y, Fig. l. Fig. 3, is a plan or top view of ditto. Fig. t, is a detached view of a portion `of ditto.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

This invention consists in using in connection with suitable pressure or forming dies an adjustable bed and side clamps and straighteners, so constructed and arranged that the form of the bed may be varied to suit the desired shape of the leaf or portion of spring to be bent or set, and springs of different sizes and also all the leaves of an elliptic spring, including the plates, bent or set with'the greatest facility and with one and the same machine.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A, represents a bed` or base to which tw uprights B, B, are attached, one at each side, the upper parts of said uprights being connected by a vertical back plate C, and a horizontal plate D.` At each end of the horizontal plate D, there is a dovetail guide c, between which a sliding or adjustable plate E, is placed and allowed to move freely forward and back. The plate E, has an elevated longitudinal rail or bar F, at its inner edge, said rail or bar extending the Whole` length of the plate and having a series of sliding or adjustable strips b, placed on it, the upper ends of said strips being bent so as to fit over the top of the rail or bar, as shown at c, and the lower ends being bent to form lips which fit in a rabbet at the lower edge of the plate E, as shown at d, Fior. 2.

Dn the back part of the horizontal plate D, an elevated rail or ledge G, is attached and a series of adjustable strips c, is placed on said rail or ledge. The strips c, are bent at their upper ends and fitted over the upper part of the ledge G, their lower ends being bent to form lips which fit in a rabbet in the lower part of the ledge Gr, as shown at f, Fig. 2. The strips b, and e, it will be seen, are precisely similar. At the central portions of the rails F, G, a stationary strip g, is attached; both of these stationary strips are shown in Fig. 3.

To the plate D, at its outer edge a bearing 71 is attached and a screw H, is fitted in said bearing. This screw passes through a nut h1, attached to the plate E, and also passes into a nut it, in the rail or ledge G, as shown clearly in Fig. 2. By turning this screw the plate E, and rail G, are adjusted nearer to or farther from each other, the screw H, being a right and left one, one portion fitting in the nut h, and the other in the nut of the rail or ledge G. lBelow the rail or ledge G, and to the plate D, there is a plate G1, attached, and a pendent plate I, is also attached to plate D. The plates G1, and I, are parallel with each other and have a space between them to allow vertical bars i, to be fitted and work freely up and down, see Figs. l and 2. Any proper number of bars i, may be used, enough to extend nearly the length of the plate D, see Fig. 1. The upper ends of the bars z', are rounded and their lower ends are connected by pivots y', to weights or bars Z, which are all placed loosely on a common shaft Z, said weights having a` tendency to keep the bars z', elevated. The upper rounded edges of the bars c', form the adjustable bed, as will be hereinafter more particularly referred to, and the several bars may be clamped in any desired position within the range of their movement by means of `a sliding key m, actuated by a screw n, the key m, being fitted between the plate G and plate I, see Fig. 1.

J, is a rod or lever which has a Weight K, attached to its outer end and the inner end of the rod or lever being secured by a fulcrum pin 0, in the upper part of an upright L, which is attached to the bed or base A, see Fig. 2. The rod or lever J, has an opening at or near its center through which a vertical rod p, passes, said rod being fitted and allowed to work freely 'up and down in a socket g, attached to the base A, as shown in Figs. l and 2. To the upper end of the rod p, a cross head i", is attached at its center by a pivot s, the cross head being allowed to work freely on its pivot s. To each end of the cross head r, a bar t, is attached by a pivot u. The bars t, t, extend upward between the plates C, and rail or ledge G, the upper end of each bar t, having a semi-circular die M, attached. These dies M, are placed loosely on pins or axes u1, attached to the bars t, and a wire spring ax, is placed on each axis, said springs having a tendency to keep the dies M, bearing against pins bx, which project from the bars t, see Figs. 1 and 2. To each bar t, a rock bar 0x, is at tached; These rack bars are placed one over the other and gear with the opposite sides of a toothed wheel N, the -axis cx, of which.

passes through the back plate C, and has an arm fx, attached t0 it. To the outer end of the arm fx, one end of a bar gx, is attached, said bar being attached at its opposite end to an arm itx, which is attached to a collar c'x, said collar being placed loosely on the back end of a driving shaft O, the bearings of which are at one end of the plate D. The shaft O, is allowed to slide longitudinally in its bearing to a certain extent so that the arms hx, may be connected with and disconnected from the shaft, by a clutch jx, see Fig. 3. On the shaft O, a cam P, is placed, said cam acting upon the rod or lever J, when desired, by means of a lever x, and rod Zx, arranged as shown clearly in Fig. l.

On the front end of the base A, a bent arm P1, is attached, mx, being the fulcrum pim-see Fig. 4. This arm P1, has a spring fax, bearing against its Linder side, said spring having a tendency to keep the upper end of the arm under the back of the weight K, when the latter is elevated.

The operation is as follows: The steel that is to form the inner plates of the spring, is first formed, and a steel strip or former 0x, is first placed on the upper ends of the bars z', and this strip is bent so as to con form to the desired shape of the plates to be formed. A hole is made through the center of the strip 0x, and a pin px, which is attached to a guide gx, passes through this hole. The strip or former 0x, is retained in proper position by pins rx, which pass through the strips Z), e. This will be clearly understood by referring to Fig. l. l The strip or former 0x, it will be understood, may be bent in any suitable curved form, as the bars c', all yield or give, and when the strip or former 0x, is properly adjusted they are secured by turning the screw n.

The steel plate sx, shown in red, and on which the innermost plate of the spring is formed, has the ears previously formed at its end. This plate sx, is placed on the strip or former 0x, and has a hole at its center to allow the pin px to pass through and retain it in proper position. The plate Sx is properly heated and when adjusted on the strip or former 0x, is clamped or secured between the strips ZJ, e, the rails F, Gr, being moved up or toward the bars z', by turning the screw H, in the proper direction. The operator then depresses the outer end of the arm P1, and allows the weight K, to descend. The descent of weight K, brings the dies M, M, down on the plate 8x, and the operator turns the shaft O, and by this means causes the dies M, M, to work over the top of the plate sx, from its ends to its center, and vice versa, motion being communicated to the dies by means of the rack bars cx, sx, wheel N, bar gx, and arms fx, hx.

The slips b, c, are adjusted laterally on the rails or bars G, F, so that the ears of the plate sx, will not be interfered with, whatever the length of the plate sx, may be. Both of the inner plates of the spring are formed or set in precisely the same way, and when formed or set, the shaft O, is drawn toward the Operator, so that the cam P, will be di rectly over the rod Zx, and t-he'clutch jx, disengaged from the collar ix. The shaft O, is then turned, and the cam P, depresses the rod Zx, so that the lever cx, will elevate the lever J, and weight K, the lever J, being sustained by the arm P1. The elevating of weight K, of course elevates the dies M, and the plate E, is moved outward and the finished plate sx removed from the strip or former 0x, the latter being taken from the bars z', and replaced by the plate sx, which becomes the former for the leaf of the spring which is to rest upon it, and each leaf of the spring serves as a former for the leaf that adjoins it, at its outer side. The operation of forming the leaves of the spring is precisely the same as that just described.

It will be seen from the above description that springs of different dimensions may be set and all the bars composing the spring accurately set, each being modified in form, as required, such modification being due to the adjustable or sectional bed formed of the bars c', and the length of stroke of the bars t, t, and dies M, may be regulated according as the work may require by changing the connection of the bar gx, so as to virtually lengthen or shorten the arm hx.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The adjustable or sectional bed formed of the bars z', connected to the weights K, and arranged substantially as shown for the purpose specified.

2. The adjustable clamps or straighteners formed of the strips e, placed on rails or bars F, G, and arranged as and for the purpose Set forth.

8. The adjustable or Sectional bed formed] of the bars as described, and the adjust- 5 able clamps or straighteners formed of the Strips I), e, placed on the rails F, G, in oombinaton with the adjustable dies M, M, ar-

ranged to operate as and for the purpose set forth.

JOHN EVANS.

Witnesses ARTHUR ROBINSON, CHARLES ROBINSON. 

